The New England Culinary Institute (NECI) is a career oriented, culinary college located in Montpelier, Vermont, founded on June 15, 1980, by Fran Voigt and John Dranow. The first NECI class, conducted by Chef Michel LeBorgne, had just seven students (now it has 500 students). A second campus was operated in Essex, Vermont, from August 1989 through August 2009. It is highly regarded as a leading culinary university in the United States. New England Culinary Institute's curriculum is based on "learning by doing," immersing students in real kitchen situations and maintaining a small teacher/chef to student ratio in comparison to other American culinary schools. The Culinary Institute runs a number of restaurants in Montpelier, as well as providing food service for Vermont College and National Life. Students at New England Culinary Institute are trained and educated in the school's restaurants while preparing food for paying customers. The school's 'learn by doing' method of teaching has yielded positive results; in addition to teaching the student, this method also gives them experience needed to be culinary leaders in the industry.